Katie MacBride

Penge West Railway Station

Freelance Writer at Freelance

health & medicine writer; words @slate @thedailybeast @vice @rollingstone @longreads; past:staff @inversedotcom, @anxymag; threads: @katiemacb. Librarian always

Articles

I just quit drinking-is it worth it?

1 month ago | askasoberlady.substack.com | Katie MacBride

Hello,I recently decided to go sober long term because I developed a reputation for my drinking problem on campus during my freshman and sophomore years of college. I’m on month two, and I am going to my first meeting after spring break, but I struggle with interacting with people who have held me to my past mistakes. That being said, I know it doesn’t really matter what others think of me, nor is it something that I can control.
RFK Jr. Wants to Fast-Track Psychedelic Therapy. That’s a Disaster in the Making.

1 month ago | slate.com | Katie MacBride

The Industry Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. On Feb. 4—the same day that Robert F.
This NYT Story Blasting Leftists Is Wildly Misleading and Dangerous. Why Did They Publish It?

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Katie MacBride

Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. On Feb. 4—the same day that Robert F.
The Myth of the Gateway Drug

1 month ago | askasoberlady.substack.com | Katie MacBride

If you were a kid in the 80’s and 90’s, there is a very good chance you remember the D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program—designed to “keep kids off drugs.” I have a hazy memory of a police officer coming to my fifth-grade classroom to explain that peer pressure is bad and that marijuana is a “gateway” drug—if you do it, you’ll end up addicted to even worse drugs. Or something.
The unfairness of luck

2 months ago | askasoberlady.substack.com | Katie MacBride

Content note: This post discusses a drunk-driving accident in which people were killed. I’ve changed names and some identifying details. February 19th was the first good night I’d had since Ari ended things with me in December. Winter break had passed in a slog of confused tears, booze, and the quintessentially 19-year-old experience of grieving the end of a romantic relationship that was never clearly defined.
17 Things I've Learned in 17 Years of Sobriety

Jan 23, 2025 | askasoberlady.substack.com | Katie MacBride

Hello friends, tomorrow is my 17th anniversary of getting sober, which means that 17 years ago today, I was in the emergency room with doctors monitoring me until I was stable enough to go to the Psych Ward (what a sentence). Back when Twitter was Twitter, I used to post my favorite sobriety lessons on my sobriety birthday, so I thought it would be fun to do a longer version of that here.
How do I talk to my 14 year old daughter about drinking and drugs?

Jan 16, 2025 | askasoberlady.substack.com | Katie MacBride

I am a California girl, born and raised in the Bay Area. It is heartbreaking and terrifying to see Southern California in flames. I don’t know if I have anything useful to say other than: please donate to relief organizations. If you are in SoCal, please take care when dealing with ash and smoke. I’m working on a sobriety birthday post for next week, so I’m answering a question this week.
My brother finally admitted he's an alcoholic, but he's surrounded by enablers

Jan 9, 2025 | askasoberlady.substack.com | Katie MacBride

I’m still working on my arbitrary and possibly ridiculous goal of getting 1000 subscribers by my sobriety ‘birthday,’ January 24th. That’s 200 in two weeks, which feels unlikely, but if you know of anyone who might be interested in this newsletter, now would be a great time to share it with them. If you find value in this newsletter and are a free subscriber, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription. I will always keep this newsletter free and the advice accessible to all.
Opinion | Yes, ‘sober curious’ can be a grating phrase. It’s also a societal blessing.

Jan 1, 2025 | msnbc.com | Katie MacBride

Jan. 1, 2025, 1:13 PM UTCIf you’ve been on social media in the past five years, there’s a good chance you’ve come across the “sober curious movement.” On TikTok alone, the hashtag has hundreds of millions of views; on Instagram, almost 800,000 videos have the same tag. As a recovering alcoholic, I’m a little ashamed to admit that — until recently, — I found the hype around the “sober curious movement” a bit annoying.
Staying sober when it's the end of the world

Nov 6, 2024 | askasoberlady.substack.com | Katie MacBride

I started writing something else for this week, but then last night happened, and I didn’t know if I could write anything at all. I am acutely feeling every single emotion I used to drink over—anger, shame, a deep, aching sadness, and a profound sense of alienation. I went to bed last night thinking I don’t know if I can get out of bed tomorrow. Now I’m on the couch with Sally, my old, sick dog, snuggled up next to me. I’m trying to write this newsletter, but it’s nearly impossible to think.